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I am Louise Woollam. A makeup obsessed accountant by day. Former Jasmine Award nominated fragrance writer (now suffering from a little-known olfactory disorder) running The Parosmia Diaries by night. I am also allegedly the "brains" behind Get Lippie at weekends. It keeps me out of trouble. I think.

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Thursday, 9 September 2010

Crystal nail files are everywhere at the moment, when I had a pedicure at The Chapel recently, BeautyMaze used a Leighton Denny crystal file on my tootsies, and I was astonished at how smooth it was, and how little it set my teeth on edge when she filed my toenails, which is always the worst part of any pedicure for me. Well, usually.

As a result I thought I'd try a couple for myself, and see if they could make a difference on my fingernails. Now, I'm not one for doing much filing on my fingernails, to be honest. As a long-time cack-handed muppet, I tend to make a dreadful mess of them, and always, but always end up with uneven nails as a result.

Max Factor have recently introduced a line of beauty accessories which includes makeup brushes and a crystal nail file. I've been pleasantly surprised by the quality of the brushes, especially when you consider the price points, and their glass file currently retails for £8.50.

All For Eve also have a glass file in their range, which is a little pricier at £12.50, but you do get swarovski crystals for that, so how do they compare?

They're very similar in thickness, but the Max Factor is a little longer, they're both well designed items, I like the black and gold on the Max Factor, but I'm always a sucker for something sparkly and I love the little crystals on the All for Eve file!

Now, the important thing about a crystal file is how smooth it is. The smoother the file is, the less you'll feel it on your nails, and the less likely it will be to snag your nails. Also, the smoother it is, the quieter it'll be. I can't be the only one who finds the sound of filing nails a little ... gnarly?

Anyhoo, you might be able to see that the surface of the Eve file is a lot smoother than the Max Factor, but even so, the Max Factor is considerably smoother than even the finest emery board you might already own. Both give a fine filing experience, and don't split the nails when you're shaping.

As for the detailing on the files themselves, it has to be said that the Eve file does have the edge, if you look at the tips, the Eve file is finer-pointed, and this just shows that greater care has been taken with the design. Plus, the cases that you get with the files mean that the Eve file is likely to be better protected in your handbag, but the smaller padded case you get with the Max Factor means that it is, in fact, easier to carry around.

Overall, there isn't a lot to choose between these files, both make shaping your nails a more pleasurable experience, and they're both definitely good at doing what they were designed for! Whilst, yes, they're both more expensive than an emery board, if you take the time to look after these properly, they will last you a lifetime, which is always a bargain as far as I'm concerned.

For me though, my money would go to All for Eve, mainly because it's (slightly) better designed than the Max Factor one, and the fact that 100% of the profits on this line go to charity will always make me willing to spend a little more on a product. That said though, the Max Factor file is also very useful, if you genuinely can't afford the couple of quid extra to spend on the Eve file.

Very helpful post - I too love crystal nail files, I have Ruby & Millie, Nails Inc and Leighton Denny (why 3? who knows, another obsession!) Main prob I find is that they are too thick, so at the moment LD is best for me, but they are not indestructible - do not do as I did and tread on one end, snapped clean in half. Thanks for this though, like the pointy bit good for getting out the gunk !

Crystal files are great - I've used them exclusively since trying one out about 6 years ago. You can often get sets from Germany on eBay - three files in various sizes for £10 - I've had the same set for about 4 years and it's still going strong!

I have a couple of glass nail files that I picked up from my local chemist for a couple of quid. They work very well although I have no comparison to more expensive makes. I was pleasantly surprised by the price of the AFE one as I'd always baulked at the price of the LD files.

My problem with having more expensive ones, is that I loose them continually. Mr Sparklz went on a tour of all my suspected safe places last night and eventually came up with it next to the bread packet in the kitchen.....not one of my usual places obviously.

I'm with you on the noise, can't bear emery boards and only ever cut my nails before these came into my life.

I have never been able to stand the sensation or the sound of nails being filed so this is wonderful news. Both look great and the review has good things to say about both. I would go for the All About Eve one, I think, as I like the idea of the profits going to charity. Thanks for this update ;)